Jarrod Scherle was impressed with Camp New Hope.

The annual retreat, in which members of the residence hall association get together and help in their leadership abilities, accomplished its goal.

“We went in with a group of students and came out with a group of student leaders,” the RHA president said.

Scherle said the students who attended the retreat were engaged in every facet of the event.

“We saw what we are capable of as a group,” Scherle said.

Scherle said he thinks the students who participated will become more involved in their hall councils and in RHA because of the retreat.

However, Scherle said, the effectiveness of the retreat will be seen in the number of students who attend the weekly RHA meetings. This week’s meeting will be in Stevenson Hall.

“If this group is a representation of what we can achieve in RHA, then we’re going to have a great year,” Scherle said.

One of the students in this group was sophomore Andy Laird, an elementary education major, who said the event allowed him to get to know other people from RHA.

Laird said he had previously only known the other RHA members from McKinney Hall, where he is secretary on the executive board, Ford Hall and Weller Hall.

“I got to meet a lot of people I wouldn’t have been able to meet before,” Laird said.

Laird said the retreat allowed him to get to know people much better than is possible at an hour-long weekly meeting.

He also credited the trust-building exercises and presentations RHA executive board members provided as useful in bringing students together at the retreat.

Laird said these activities were trust-builders where students were asked to form patterns with cards after being told one of their members might sabotage the activity.

Laird said activities like these helped develop a sense of trust between members and allowed them to more easily form friendships.

Other activities, he said, were focused on developing leadership and teamwork abilities.

One such activity was the “Car and Drivers” game, which had one student leading a blindfolded teammate around the room.

Laird said this activity allowed him to feel what it is like to be a leader as well as a follower which is something he felt is important for people to learn.

“This weekend taught me how to lead but also how to follow,” Laird said. “It teaches you how to be an all-around team leader.”

These presentations gave students the knowledge and strength to serve as leaders in their respective hall positions.

“They were an excellent way to swap ideas and learn how to grow not just as a person but as a leader on your executive board,” Laird said.

He said he is looking forward to attending the next retreat and becoming more involved in the workings of RHA as a result of this retreat.